


Fighting Fire With Fire

by crimson_violet



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Bondage, Desperation, Dubious Consent, F/M, Oral Sex, Self-Loathing Caleb Widogast, Sex Pollen, consent issues due to sex pollen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:08:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29206380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crimson_violet/pseuds/crimson_violet
Summary: Caleb's memory is pulled sideways to another book, a book he'd seen a little drawing of a pinkish-white flower. A book that he'd giggled over rather immaturely with Astrid.Ah, scheiße. This was going to be… embarrassing, wasn't it? He feels too-warm already.
Relationships: Jester Lavorre/Caleb Widogast
Comments: 2
Kudos: 82





	Fighting Fire With Fire

Caleb's shoulder brushes past a cluster of little pinkish-white flowers, and they practically _explode_ a cloud of pollen into his face.

 _Shit_.

The rest of the party pauses as he coughs and hacks and tries to remember whether the pollen of this flower is poisonous, because it looks familiar somehow, and that worries him. Caleb's mind zips back to his time at the Academy, even as Jester runs up to him, asking if he's okay. He flashes back to poring over books of poisons in the library, learning how each is made, how each can be recognized. He'd stayed up so late, with Astrid and Eodwulf, reading those books until they'd all been exhausted, night after night. Some nights they'd all stolen kisses from one another, hidden from the watchful eye of Trent Ikithon by a blanket of darkness, and- that wasn't relevant right now. The memory of the flower wasn't from here, but it was close. It wasn't a poison, _not quite_. Caleb's memory is pulled sideways to another book, a book he'd seen a little drawing of a pinkish-white flower. A book that he'd giggled over rather immaturely with Astrid.

Ah, _scheiße_. This was going to be… embarrassing, wasn't it? He feels too-warm already.

"-okay, Caleb?? Do you need me to heal you?" Jester is talking to him.

Caleb pulls up the memory of the text in that book in his mind. The Heart's Rose (stupid, _stupid_ name, it wasn't even close to being a rose). Its pollen would make anyone who had contact with enough of it overcome with lust, a danger to others and, in the absence of others, a danger to themselves. He'd _definitely_ had contact with enough. It wasn't something that healing spells would help with though, it needed to run its course.

Caleb shook his head. "No. Jester, that won't help. But I'm going to be… I have a couple hours until… We need to make camp now, before. I'll be a danger to others until this time tomorrow. I'll need to be restrained, and then I'll just... sleep it off… Ach, Mollymauk, _no_!"

Caleb dodges backwards away from Molly's hand, which tries to reach out to brush some of the pollen from his face.

"Don't- _don't_ touch me. Just. Let's make camp now. Quickly."

"Ah. Okay buddy. But… you _will_ be okay, right?" Molly's eyes are concerned. Caleb isn't sure, so he just wraps his coat around himself tightly, and shudders. Yeah, the pollen is definitely starting to work.

They make camp. Or rather, everyone else makes camp, and Caleb watches them, and squirms. He gets Fjord to restrain him (the sailor being the best at tying knots). The half-orc binds his wrists and his legs firmly with rope, and Caleb uses _all_ of his willpower to keep from making a noise as Fjord's hands tug at the ropes to test them. The rope holds tight. Being a wizard, Caleb could trivially escape from them now, but by the time he actually wants to, the flower will have affected him so much that he won't have the mindpower for it. At least now he won't be able to hurt anyone else. Or himself. The book had said… some animals have a symbiotic relationship with the flower, spreading its pollen while also benefiting from a boost in their population due to its effects. But some creatures, when lacking a partner, had been known to claw themselves half to death. Or even all the way to death. Caleb swallows hard. The illustration that the book had for _that_ was… particularly vivid.

"All right, you're nice and secure." The rumbling lilt of Fjord's voice raises the hair on the back of Caleb's neck, and he _trembles._ "Anything else you'll be needing?"

"Ah, nein. Thank you, Fjord."

Caleb tries to sleep. It isn't easy, because it's the middle of the damn day, and he can hear the party chattering outside. And he can feel his dick hardening between his legs, which _really_ doesn't help. He hears Beau say something and Jester's laugh rings out loud and clear, and he feels his dick twitch at that, and he doesn't even deserve to hear that beautiful laugh _at all_ , much less like this. He pulls his pillow over his head to try and block out the light and the noise.

He must have fallen asleep at some point, because he wakes up in the dark, drenched in sweat, and he _hurts_. His neck and head hurt from sleeping on his bedroll without a pillow, his arms and legs hurt from unconsciously pulling at the ropes binding them, his back hurts because he's managed to twist his body into an unnatural position, and his dick hurts because he's painfully hard in his trousers and because he's been slowly rutting uncontrollably against his bedroll for who knows how long. Also his face feels wet. Has he been crying?

Now that he's awake, his body starts trying more frantically to rub itself off against his blankets, his hips twitching in fits, as much motion as he can manage with the way he's tied. He couldn't stop if he wanted to. And… he doesn't really want to at all. If he were able, if he were untied, Caleb knows that he would be grinding himself unforgivingly into the ground, hard enough to hurt, hard enough to make himself _bleed_ . As it is, it's not enough, not nearly enough. The small movements that he's managing are providing barely enough friction for him to feel the maddening slide of his cock against the blanket through layers and layers of cloth, but definitely enough that he can tell that the skin of his shaft feels tender and raw. _Gods_ , how long has he been doing this for? _Why_ had he thought it would be a good idea to keep all his clothes on? Something to do with not really wanting Fjord to see him like that, but that sounds stupid now. Caleb likes being wrapped in all his layers of clothing, normally. They keep him safe and secure (as safe as he can be, anyway), and they keep him separated from the rest of the world, as he should be. But now, they're just in the way. He growls in frustration.

It hurts because it's not enough and it _hurts_ because it's far too much, and Caleb can feel another tear slip down his face. It's dark out, night must have fallen at least a few hours ago, which means he's got about… ten hours or so left? _Gods_ . He'd normally be able to tell the time perfectly but he just can't seem to get his mind to focus on it enough to tell. It'll be okay, there's a finite amount of time left, he just needs to wait it out, just needs to survive and he'll be _fine-_

"Caleb?" Jester's voice is quiet and gentle from just outside his tent. "Are you okay? I thought I heard you crying…"

"Jester? Jester! Nonononono- _no_!"

"Soooo… you're _not_ okay? Do you need help? I _am_ a cleric, you know."

"Jester, ah- no, wait, _wait-_ ngggh." Caleb fumbles as his body practically trips over itself in want because yes, he _does_ need help, but also _no_ , Jester does not deserve to see... this. He tumbles further onto his side with a pained grunt.

"Caleb!!" Jester's face pokes through his tent flap. "What happened, are you- oh. Ummm." The blue skin of her cheeks blushes a deep purple in the moonlight as her eyes dart over him. Caleb knows that he looks like an absolute wreck, his skin is flushed and shirt is soaked through in sweat, his cock is painfully hard and tenting his pants and _leaking_ , and his hips just _won't stop_ rutting against the ground.

"Aghhh, Jester…" he tries to hide his face in the blankets, but only succeeds in twisting his neck into an awkward angle. "Please just… forget about this?" he says to her, weakly.

"Cayy-leb…" her voice softens. "Do you just not want me to come in because you have… _a boner_?" Jester says that last bit in a ridiculous stage whisper, and Caleb barks out a laugh and rolls his eyes as a little of the tension breaks. "Are you… sure you don't want me to come in there?" Jester grins.

"Ah. Jester…" Caleb should protest, Caleb knows he's _supposed_ to protest, but he can't quite manage that because he does _want_ , very much so. He _wants_ Jester to come in and, and-

And she's already stepping into the tent. Jester sits herself down right next to his bedroll, wrapping her tail around herself as she does. The tent is small, so it's a bit of a squeeze, and Caleb can feel part of her leg pressing into his back. He tries to stop himself, but he presses back against her.

"Jester…"

"Caleb. You are going to hurt yourself if you keep doing that, you know." She's talking about the way he keeps rubbing himself against the ground like a half-crazed animal, and she's probably right.

"I-I can't, I _can't-_ " He can't stop.

Jester reaches out and rolls him into his back, and her hands are soft and warm and firm and he whines at her touch. As his hips try to jerk upward into nothing, Caleb starts to cry. He doesn't deserve Jester even at his best, and he certainly doesn't deserve her now. But he won't stop _wanting_ her, which had been a bit of a problem in the months leading up to… this, but was a much more _apparent_ problem now. He loves her, he loves her, and she is far more than he could ever deserve, she shouldn't even be seeing this, she _shouldn't_ be opening her mouth now with a grin and a gleam in her eye, and yet she is.

"Are you sure you don't want me to… _you know_ ," Jester makes a lewd gesture and Caleb chokes as a sob that's halfway out of his throat turns into a helpless laugh. "I can, you know!" she insists.

He should say no, he really really should, but what he says instead is, "Have… have you ever…?"

"Have I ever touched a dick, you mean? Well not _exactly_ , but… I've read plenty of books about it! I _know_ how it works!" The blue tiefling's sharp little fangs show through in her grin. "I bet you have a nice one…"

"I, um," Jester had _no_ business saying something like that. "I… probably not…"

This was not a dirty romance novel, and Caleb knows he isn't the romantic hero that Jester wants and deserves, and even if she wants to, _even if_ , this still isn't how it should happen.

Jester looks at Caleb and she smiles, a different, softer smile than before.

"Caleb… you know, I…" She's blushing and fiddling with the tip of one of her horns as she speaks. "You know, I've always liked you, I think you are very attractive and sweet, you know, so… I guess what I'm trying to say is that I kinda wanted to _hmm-hmm_ with you anyway." She made another lewd gesture to accompany her words. "I know, probably not the right time to say it, but, ummm…"

It was definitely not the right time to say it, but Caleb's impulse control is _not_ working as it should right now, so he says, "I feel the same." Apparently his self loathing is still in fine working order, because he immediately feels terrible about it.

But Jester's hand has made its way onto his hip, and is gripping him there, and the only thing he can say (and the only thing he can think) now is, "Jester, Jester _please_ , _bitte…_ "

She leans forward, putting more of her weight on him and moving her face nearer to his. Caleb shudders.

"Yeah?" Jester says quietly into the dark.

" _Ja_ , Jester, please-"

"Okay." She smiles down at him, and her smile is as bright as the sun as she briefly runs her fingers through his hair. She smooths it back from his face, blue fingers weaving through auburn for a moment before her hands move on to the buttons of his pants. She makes quick work of them. Maybe too quick, because his heart starts hammering out of his chest in anticipation and he isn't quite sure if he's mentally prepared for her to-

Jester takes him into her hand and he spills almost immediately, but not in a way that makes him any less hard. Not in a way that so much as puts a pause in his desperate _wanting_ . He shudders and whines as her hand strokes him. And then he promptly hisses in pain because the skin on his dick really _is_ tender after half a night of dry humping a blanket.

Jester pauses. "Too much?"

Caleb nods his head, and then shakes his head, because it's far, far too much, but also-

"I can use my mouth, you know. I bet that will be gentler."

Caleb shudders. Caleb whimpers. Caleb nods frantically.

Jester shifts herself slightly and bows her head over him, and, gently, takes him into her mouth. Caleb whimpers and thrashes while the ropes only hold him mostly still, because his body wants more, and it wants it _now_ , and it will do anything to have it. Jester splutters a bit as he does so, and uses both her hands to pin him down by the hips. He remembers how _strong_ she is. She is gentle and careful and tender with him ( _so_ much more so than Caleb would ever dare to think that he deserved), and as his body longs to just take and take and _take_ , she holds him still. Gentle, but firm. Her tongue traces a path up his cock from the base to the tip, swirling around the head, and her mouth is absurdly, maddeningly soft. Caleb feels like he might start crying again. Jester laps at his dick again and again, and he lets his head fall back onto the ground hard. He pants _hard_ as he tries and fails to buck up into her mouth. Jester just keeps on covering him in softness and warmth, and it's so good, so _so_ good, but also not nearly enough. Any more friction and it would _hurt_ , though. But then again, it already hurts. Caleb's dick throbs in Jester's mouth, and he moans. So does she, which sends a shockwave of pleasure straight through him.

"Ah- Jester, _please-_ hah-!!"

She sucks at him then, so lightly and carefully that he isn't really sure if he's imagining it or not, but it must be enough because he spills into her mouth with a strangled yelp. It's still dark out though, and Caleb is still hard and needy.

Jester does it again and it's torture. Jester does it _again_ and it's heaven. Jester takes a break to grab some water and snacks, and Caleb decides he was completely wrong before, because _this_ is definitely the torture. Jester does it again, and Caleb thinks it's probably a good thing that he was taught to withstand torture, because if he hadn't, he's sure he would have _screamed_.

The sun rises, and the effects of the Heart's Rose, while not gone, are noticeably decreased. He'll be back to normal in a couple hours. Jester takes the chance to ask if she can kiss him. Caleb says yes, and she does, and he decides _that_ is actually heaven. Jester unties him and holds him, and heals the marks that the ropes have left on his arms and legs while he clings to her. When she's done, Caleb sits up and blinks in the light, and he casts Prestidigitation and it _works_ . He's back to normal ( _finally_ ) and everything is clean again and it's like nothing even happened.

He looks at Jester and she blushes and fiddles with the tip of her left horn. He can feel heat rise in his face too.

"Jester, I… uh. You. Um. C-can I?"

He leans toward her, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. She nods and tilts her face up to him. He kisses her.

Caleb decides it's not _quite_ like nothing happened. 


End file.
